The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling the flow of fluids and, more specifically, to systems and methods for regulating the flow of tidal waters through a conduit.
The present invention is of particular significance when used to regulate the flow of tidal waters in a tideland environment, and that application will be described herein in detail. However, the present invention has broader application to any environment where regulation of water flow is desired. The scope of the present invention should thus be determined by the claims appended hereto and not the following detailed description of the invention.
The term xe2x80x9ctidelandxe2x80x9d will be used herein to refer to land areas that are covered by salt water under certain tidal conditions. In many geographical regions, the size of tidelands has been reduced over the years, primarily through the use of dikes or levees that restrict the flow of tidal waters to predefined channels. More recently, efforts have been made to restore the flow of tidal waters into former tidelands. However, former tidelands are often now populated, and simply removing dikes or levees is not a viable alternative for reclaiming tidelands.
Instead, the reclamation of tidelands is now typically accomplished by breaching dikes or levees at critical locations such that tidal waters flow through these breaches into a desired portion of the reclaimed tidelands. For example, a pipe, culvert, or other conduit through a dike or levee may be configured to allow water to flow, under certain tidal conditions, between a main body of water and a connected stream. A gate assembly is typically placed at the outlet of the conduit to regulate the flow of tidal waters through the conduit. The flow of tidal waters into former tidelands, even if regulated with a gate assembly, encourages the growth of biological organisms (plants, fish, etc.) that are dependent upon tidal waters.
A gate assembly designed to regulate tidal flows should ideally be somewhat adjustable to accommodate different goals and tidal, seasonal, and weather conditions. A tidal gate assembly must be corrosion resistant and sufficiently rugged to operate unattended in potentially rough conditions.
From the foregoing, it should be apparent that the need exists for simple, rugged, and adjustable gate systems and methods for regulating the flow of tidal water through a conduit.
The present invention may be embodied as a tidal gate system and method for a regulating the flow of tidal waters between a first side and a second side of a main opening. The tidal gate system comprises a primary door member defining a regulated opening, a secondary door member sized and dimensioned to cover the regulated opening, a door float, and a regulation float. Gravity biases the primary and secondary door members into their closed positions. The door float causes the secondary door assembly to move out of its closed position when a primary water level on the first side of the main opening exceeds a predetermined regulated opening level. The regulation float is operatively connected to the secondary door assembly such that the regulation float forces the secondary door assembly into its closed position when the primary water level exceeds a predetermined regulation float level.